Mel Bay's Creative Keyboard® Webzine | Per Danielsson - Chopin Jazz Variation

Chopin Jazz Variation

A few weeks ago I decided to bring out the Chopin Etudes. I quickly realized that I should do that more often. In order to play these etudes musically, a high level of technical skill is a must. The only way to achieve this is to practice, and practice correctly. Since I had not played the etudes in a long time, I lowered the tempo considerably. This made it easier to memorize the piece and to acquire muscle memory. I’m still working on this overwhelming piece but bit-by-bit I feel that my technique is improving.

I have also applied the Chopin etudes to my jazz playing, which presents a whole new set of problems and challenges. By taking parts of the etudes and altering the melody, harmony and rhythm, you can create variations which are suitable for use in a jazz context. The idea behind this approach is make all music fair game, thereby expanding your imagination and creativity. I don’t mean for it to be a substitute for Chopin’s version, but after you learn the original version you are free to experiment.

The following examples show how you can create your own versions of Chopin’s etude #1 in C-major.

Version 1: The pattern in bar 1 and 2 is played over a Bb chord. This creates the sound of a Bb7#11 chord.

Version 2: The pattern from bar 1 is used, but each note is approached from a whole step above. Experiment with approaching the notes from half steps and whole steps above and below.

Version 3: The pattern from bar 3 is used over a Ab13. The F is the 13th, and the A is the b9.

Version 4: Each note in bar 3 is approached from a half step below.

Version 5: Bar 4 from the original etude. The two first beats are exactly like written. Beat two and three are transposed to fit the B7#9 chord. In the last bar the pattern is inverted and the notes are changed to fit the Em7 chord.

As you can see in these examples, the possibilities are endless. Take bar 5-8 of the etude and create your own variations. Practice your variations and learn to play them musically. Remember to always be musical when you practice!

Per Danielsson

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